NASPA is “the largest professional association for the student affairs field aiming to provide professional development and advocacy for those who share the responsibility for a campus-wide focus on the student experience.” Its goals encompass desires to lead the field in professional development; advocacy and policy development on campus; and pluralism, diversity, and internationalism on campus and within the organization. NASPA utilizes assessment tools across campuses to develop national trends that may impact campus policies. There are seven types of memberships available through NASPA based on professional level. Visit NASPA’s
membership site for more information.
Said to be founded in 1919, NASPA (known until 1951 as NADAM) began primarily as a networking tool between deans and advisors at multiple campuses but grew into an association where student affairs professionals could get assistance with setting campus policies that would reflect the greater interest of their students. Research was first introduced in 1925, and is now one of the main components of gaining vital information to be disseminated among their members. Information can be obtained by the members through many resources, including Knowledge Communities, Regional Communities, publications, conferences, and national assessments.
Knowledge Communities offer members access to information in a specific subject matter within student affairs. They not only disseminate information, but also gather and generate information in specific interest areas, “discussing the information; looking for examples of practicing the information; and critiquing, evaluating, and making some judgment about the worthiness of findings before disseminating findings as knowledge.” This process allows members to trust in the accuracy of the information found in the Knowledge Communities. A complete list of Knowledge Communities can be found on NASPA’s website.
Regional Communities are also available to members to compare and analyze trends among other campuses in their same geographical region. Each regional community offers newsletters, listservs, and conferences to keep members updated on all pertinent information.
Assessment
NASPA has recently developed an
Assessment Consortium available to the members on a registration basis. This consortium offers a year-long assessment program for campuses from start to finish. In coordination with
StudentVoice, NASPA has developed assessment projects in which individual registered campuses may participate. These projects focus on specific program areas, which change from year to year. In the 2008-2009 academic year, assessment projects will focus on student activities, campus climate/diversity/inclusivity, and campus safety and security/student conduct. In addition to the three program specific assessments, campuses will also be able to participate in the
Profile of Today’s College Student study. NASPA will also provide campuses with data analysis reports at the end of the academic year. These reports will consist of not only individual campus data analysis, but also comparison reporting with other campuses that participated in the same projects.
Footnote:
http://www.naspa.org/